Barker took over as Penn State's start in relief of a struggling Sander Sahaydak.
Penn State place kicker Ryan Barker kicks a 25-yard field goal during the third quarter on Oct. 5, 2024. Joe Hermitt | [email protected] Sander Sahaydak missed his second 40-yard field goal of the game against Illinois, redshirt freshman kicker Ryan Barker trotted onto the field to knock through
The 25- and 40-yard field goals were the first of Barker’s young college career. He made his collegiate debut with an extra point against Kent State. The battle for this year’s starting kicking spot was a close one, as Franklin noted multiple times through the offseason. Sahaydak won the job over Barker by a matter of one or two percentage points, according to Franklin’s preseason estimation of 85, 84 and 83% across Sahaydak, Barker and Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer.
“How quickly can you flush it and bounce back? I think that’s important at every position. It’s probably magnified at the kicking position because you just don’t get as many plays and you don’t get as many opportunities, so each play is magnified,” Franklin said. “But that ability to flush the last play, good or bad, and move on to the next one is really important. I think from what I’ve seen from him, he does a very good job of that.
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